Who lives longest? Top 20 nations for life expectancy

Life expectancy

What's the secret to a long life? Where you live is a big factor. Countries that offer the highest quality of life tend to have the longest-living citizens, says the Central Intelligence Agency, which has tracked the average life expectancy at birth for every country in the world.

Where do people live the longest? Keep clicking to see the CIA countdown as of 2017. You might be surprised at where the U.S. ranks...

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17-20 (tie). Norway

Average life expectancy: 81.9 years

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17-20 (tie). Canada

Average life expectancy: 81.9 years

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17-20 (tie). France

Average life expectancy: 81.9 years

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17-20 (tie). Liechtenstein

Average life expectancy: 81.9 years

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16. Sweden

Average life expectancy: 82.1 years

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13-15 (tie). Italy

Average life expectancy: 82.3 years

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13-15 (tie). Australia

Average life expectancy: 82.3 years

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13-15 (tie). Luxembourg

Average life expectancy: 82.3 years

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11-12 (tie). South Korea

Average life expectancy: 82.5 years

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11-12 (tie). Israel

Average life expectancy: 82.5 years

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9-10 (tie). Switzerland

Average life expectancy: 82.6 years

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9-10 (tie). Guernsey

Average life expectancy: 82.6 years

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8. Andorra

Average life expectancy: 82.9 years

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7. Hong Kong

Average life expectancy: 82.5 years

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6. Iceland

Average life expectancy: 83.1 years

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5. San Marino

Average life expectancy: 83.3 years

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4. Macau

Average life expectancy: 84.6 years

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3. Singapore

Average life expectancy: 85.2 years

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2. Japan

Average life expectancy: 85.3 years

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1. Monaco

The second smallest country in the world boasts the highest life expectancy, with citizens living an average of 89.4 years. Good things come in small packages?

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43. United States

Wondering where the U.S. is? Not in the top 20. As of 2017, the CIA pegs America at number 43 on its life expectancy list, with an average lifespan of 80 years.

However, in November 2018 the CDC reported U.S. life expectancy was in decline due to higher rates of suicide and drug overdoses, with an average lifespan of 78 years and 7 months.